We are failing nature, but nature-connected organisations can be part of the response.
Time and again we are reminded of the catastrophic declines in wildlife and ecosystem health and the threats to our lives and livelihoods. Today’s report from the United Nations is clearly another clarion call.
The world has failed to meet a single one of the Aichi biodiversity targets agreed in Japan in 2010
the guardian, 15 september 2020
Leading an organisation or department in 2020 is one of the most challenging positions to be in right now: reorganising the workplace at short notice, facilitating WFH, attempting to plan and manage budgets and logistics when everything is uncertain. So in comes the UN report to add to the woes, and even Sunday night’s David Attenborough doc – usually a respite from the pressures of the ‘real world’ – brings only a feeling of guilt, horror and ennui.
A call for action
There is action to be taken, however. Agency can bring much needed movement and positivity, after all, and through Covid-19, the world is waking up to the benefits of nature at last.
People have found, through personal experience, they value what they know and love. It has also helped to have ever stronger science, better communicated.
80% of people say nature makes them happy
natural england, april 2020
There is action to be taken by individuals – getting out into nature more often, and forging personal relationships, has been shown to not only be good for us, but also to increase our drive to protect the planet.
And there is action to be taken by organisations.
Nature-connected organisations
Here at The Human Nature Partnership, we call those who wake up to this clarion call ‘Nature-connected organisations’.
A nature-connected organisation is one that recognises the unique potential of focussing on nature.
An organisation which has integrated the science and ethos of nature-connection into its policies and practices, for the benefit of wildlife, employee wellbeing and corporate impact.
the human nature partnership 2020
We believe that there is still time to act, that action can be meaningful. Even in the depths of uncertainty and challenge of the current conjuncture, applying these insights lead to streamlined and sensible investment. In becoming what we call a nature-connected organisation, you can address some of the internal staff experience challenges, while actively building resilience and meeting the needs of the local environment.
There are 3 elements we would expect to see in a mature, nature-connected organisation.
Engage with nature: This means having strategies in place for colleagues, residents or staff to activate the benefits of being cognitively, emotionally and somatically engaged in nature. Recognising that this is good not just for the individual, but also – because it has been proven to encourage pro-environmental behaviour – good for all of us and the natural world of which we’re a part.
Enhance your footprint via operations, supply chain, and the distributed workplace. This means embracing distributed nodes of ‘work anywhere’ – at home or in business hubs – as means of extending influence over environmental quality and extent of wildlife habitat beyond the traditional estate.
Embrace your place in the local community. This means recognising that access to nature and its benefits are highly unevenly distributed within our communities – and likely too amongst its members – and that being a good neighbour can involve sharing high quality natural spaces between and amongst public and private assets, and enabling staff and local communities to access local biodiverse greenspace that meets their needs.
Over the next few weeks we will be sharing more about the why, the what, and the how of becoming more nature-connected. Watch this space.
Photo by Shane Rounce on Unsplash